Cameron’s Chilling Threat: Conform or Lose Your Rights

The legislation has been framed around the issue of religious fundamentalism and terrorism but the words of Cameron go much broader than that. He said:

For too long, we have been a passively tolerant society, saying to our citizens ‘as long as you obey the law, we will leave you alone’.

It’s often meant we have stood neutral between different values. And that’s helped foster a narrative of extremism and grievance.

The measures will enable the authorities to prevent access for some individuals to social media. They will result in people being barred from broadcasting messages and those under the new measures will need to to seek permission before they can post comments online.

It’s hard to imagine a more clear threat to freedom of speech and expression. No wonder they want to ditch the Human Rights Act that protects such freedoms.

It isn’t yet against the law to be left wing but how long will it be before the word ‘extremism’ is used to describe those of us who believe in a a radical and direct democracy, who want to get rid of capitalism and the state? Even those not involved with radical politics should be dismayed by the proposals. An injury to one is an injury to all.

The exact same thing caught my eye. I don’t see any solution to this by working within the parliamentary system, that is, by voting and trying to elect someone else. And when “extremists” are marginalized we’re (I’ll just go ahead and own the term) going to be left without any form of struggle that is not criminalized or treated as such de facto. Incidentally, resistance can thrive in this type of environment. I’m not too worried, and I hope that this helps to open eyes about what kind of institutions and forms of government/state really exist.